Thee Oh Sees, Paper Diamond headline upcoming KWUR Week shows

In its 19-year history, KWUR Week has strived to bring up-and-coming artists to Wash. U.’s campus, peaking five years ago when concert organizers brought Of Montreal to the Gargoyle’s stage before the band made it big. Last night Pokey LaFarge kicked off the festivities, and three nights of shows await this weekend. Besides the concerts, look for KWUR this week in the Danforth University Center, where members will be playing music and giving away treats.

KWUR will team up with Jazz at Holmes for a night of avant-garde jazz on Thursday at 7 p.m. featuring the Jazz X-Tet with David Stone and Peter Schlamb. The Jazz X-Tet, based at the University of Chicago, is a loose collective of a dozen or so musicians renowned for their wide-reaching understanding of jazz; their genre-bending shows feature everything from standards to hip-hop. They will be joined by saxophonist David Stone and vibraphonist Peter Schlamb. For the uninitiated, a vibraphone is the xylophone’s trippier, echoing, electric little brother.

“We wanted to bring crowd pleasers,” said Matt Curry, events director for KWUR. Curry notes the performers’ dance ability and points to Paper Diamond’s recent EPs, which have earned a dedicated online following. Though many students, even some within KWUR, are unfamiliar with Paper Diamond and RPM, the night is sure to win them some new fans.

The week will come to an exciting close with Saturday’s Wave Night at the Gargoyle featuring Thee Oh Sees, Fergus & Geronimo and Flaming Death Trap. First up: Flaming Death Trap, one of the biggest rock bands in St. Louis, who recently opened for Oberhofer at Saint Louis University’s Billiken Club and even recorded in the KWUR studios last June, combine a folk sensibility with surf-rock sound. Next, Fergus & Geronimo will bring their eclectic blend of lo-fi, ’60s soul, garage rock and psychedelic-pop sound in what’s sure to be a fiery St. Louis debut. Finally, after years of refusing to perform in St. Louis, Thee Oh Sees will unleash their mix of reverberating psychedelic-garage rock to close out the night and the festival. If you want to dance, rock out, hear some fantastic music and support KWUR’s great efforts, this night is not to be missed.